Fathers are like noses
by WolfMarauder
Summary: Remus never came back after he left in DH but he and Tonks survived the final battle. They no longer talk, and Tonks is left the raise Teddy alone. Will Teddy ever find his dad? Father/son eventual RLNT Not nearly as sad as it sounds Please Read & Review!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay, I know I _really _don't need to be starting a new story when I am having trouble juggling the two I have, but I was brutally attacked by a rabid plot bunny. As a caution, I am not sure how frequently I will be updating this. I am nearing the end of my term (five weeks!) so I have a bunch of end of term stuff going on like papers and presentations. I also have two other chapter fics (that you should defiantly check out if you haven't read them, just sayin') that came first, so they will take priority unless this plot bunny continues it's vicious attack. For those waiting for updates for my other stories, I am sorry. I have almost finished the next chapter for Holding it Together, the one shot for Dear Baby, and the paper I have been spending my spring break writing. YAY school work on holidays! These updates should come soon, so hang in there.**

**So this is a new multichapter I am starting. This assumes that Remus and Tonks both survived, but Remus never came back after he left. If this sounds a bit rambling and goes off on tangents, that is because I was trying to write through Teddy's point of view and he is ten years old at this point. Please tell me how you think I did. After all, I have not been a ten year old for almost ten years now :) Gosh I feel old. Please Read and Review!**

**I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Teddy would be raised by his loving parents and have little siblings running about.**

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Teddy Lupin didn't know his father. He _had_ a father, of course, everyone has a father. He thought that was a rather stupid distinction to have to make. Fathers were a bit like noses in that sense. Everyone had one at some point and most still did. Teddy lost his—his father, not his nose—before he was even born. His mother wouldn't tell him how exactly; she wouldn't tell him much of anything about his father. When he tried to ask her something, she looked quite sad and her hair would sometimes turn brown—not that she wore it any particularly exciting color anyway—and she would tell him she was tired and feel like talking right now, and "Why don't you go run wash up for supper?" Eventually he stopped asking because he knew it would just make her sad.

He knew what his father looked like. He found a picture of him and his mother once at their wedding when he was exploring his Gran's attic. He wouldn't have known who it was if _Remus and Dora on their wedding day_ hadn't been written on the back in his grandmother's neat writing. The woman in the picture looked very little like his Mum. Perhaps she looked like her cousin or a sister that inherited all the opposite traits. She looked much younger, more than eight years could justify, and her eyes were bright and merry. Her smile lit up her whole face and made dimples on her cheeks. Most shocking of all, her hair was bright bubble gum pink. He didn't think his mother was the pink hair sort of person. She did mess with her hair and her face to make him and his cousins laugh, but she didn't wear it like that normally. She wasn't boring exactly, she just wasn't particularly exciting, but not many Mums were. Except his Aunt Ginny, anyway, when Teddy was younger she was a professional Quidditch player, but after Al had been born she started writing about matches. Teddy didn't think the writing would be very fun, but she got to go to matches all the time. She even took Teddy sometimes.

After he got over the fact that the woman in the picture was his mother, he eagerly turned to his father. Compared to his mother, his father looked, well… old. When he had asked his Uncle Harry about later it he had said that his father was thirteen years older than his Mum. That seemed like quite a long time to Teddy and he told his Uncle Harry so. He just laughed nervously and said that his mother didn't care because they were in love. Teddy had then asked why she never talked about his father if she loved him so much. Harry seemed at a loss for a moment, but then told him that sometimes when you lose someone you love it hurts to talk about them. He had then quickly changed the subject.

The man in the picture—his dad, Remus Lupin—was smiling as well and occasionally leaned down to kiss his mother on her lips. Her eyes would slip closed and her lips would curl into a smile. He had never seen her kiss anyone on the lips, so it was strange to see his parents together that way. His father had sandy brown hair, streaked with grey. His face was slightly lined and had several scars across it. He might have looked severe if it wasn't for his mischievous blue eyes that were easily the youngest part of his face. They twinkled in a way that suggested that he wouldn't be the sort of father to be particularly strict about bed times, or much of anything really. Teddy wished he knew him; he was sure he would like him.

When he got home that night he looked closely at his mother. She noticed him staring and quirked an eyebrow at him and asked what he was looking at. He asked her why she never wore her hair pink anymore. She had drawn up short and asked him why he would ask something like that. He had lied and said that he saw some pictures of when she was younger and she always wore her hair fun colors in the pictures. She just sighed and said that she had to grow up. He blurted out that he thought you had to be grown up to get married. She started to look sad again and her hair turned brown. Teddy didn't even wait for her to tell him to go wash up. He just mumbled sorry, and started to walk toward the bathroom. It surprised him when she spoke. "I thought I was grown up then, sweetheart," she had said, "But I was really just young and naïve. What picture did you see?" Teddy handed her the picture that he had kept in his pocket. Her eyes welled up with tears. He asked her if she didn't like the picture. "He is a good man, Teddy, and a better wizard. I am not ashamed of marrying him, I just wish he stayed." She gave him back the picture and told him to keep it. That had been two years ago and they hadn't talked about it since.

He loved his mum. She was generally a cheerful sort of person, but she had her moments. He was proud of her. His mum was the head of the Auror department at the Ministry. She got to keep a very predictable schedule of work and home, so he got to see her more than he would have if she had been a regular Auror. She got up every morning at six every morning to get dressed. At seven-thirty she woke Teddy up and got him dressed and fixed him breakfast. At eight, she dropped him off with whoever was watching him that day and went to work. Unless something bad happened, she picked him up at six. They went home, or if it was a Friday, sometimes they did something fun like go to the cinema. Once or twice a week, they would eat dinner at his Gran's. On Sundays they would go to the Burrow for lunch. These were loud, exciting gatherings and always managed to make her laugh. Once a month, they ate dinner with her friend the Minister. These meals were more subdued, but they made his Mum happy.

A few times a year, he would go stay with his Gran or Grandma Molly because his Mum "needed a break." Teddy didn't know what she did on a break, but he guessed she deserved one. After all, she worked hard and her job was stressful. He knew it was starting to be time for a break, because she would start to look sad and tired. Occasionally, usually after one of her "breaks," his mum would go, "out to dinner." Teddy did not go to these dinners. Someone would stay with him until his Mum and the guy she was eating with got home. At about eight a man would come pick her up. They were never the same man, but without fail he would always say how cute Teddy was. His mum would smile proudly and ruffle Teddy's hair. She would kiss Teddy on the head, take the man's arm, and walk out the door. No later than ten-thirty, she would come home. The man never came back inside because she left him at the door. Teddy didn't know quite what to make of these dinners. His parents had never officially divorced. He had heard his Gran talk to her about it when they didn't think he was listening. His mum had just said that she would get it done when she had to, claiming that she hated paperwork. Teddy had didn't fool himself into thinking that his parents were going to get back together. As far as he knew, they didn't even speak to one another. Judging from the way she acted when she had to talk _about_ him, Teddy couldn't imagine her talking _to_ him, especially talking in a getting back together sort of way. All he knew was that he was glad that these dinner guys didn't stay. They didn't make his mum happy, anyway. She had never come back from dinner smiling the way his father had made her smile in the picture, or smiling at all, really. Once he asked her why she kept going and she just said that everybody wanted her to and she didn't want to worry them.

All and all, Teddy considered himself a pretty lucky kid. He loved his mum, and they got by well on their own. He had his Gran, his Godfather, Uncle Harry and his family, and all of the Weasleys. That didn't stop him from wondering how it would be if his father was still around. He would be turning eleven in a few months, and going to Hogwarts a few months after that. Was is so wrong to want to know his father before he went to school with other kids who would probably know just as much about him as he did by reading a history book? Teddy decided he _would_ meet his father before then. He _would_ learn all the things a kid should know about their father, like what team they cheered for and their favorite candy. Now he just needed to figure out how to meet him.

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**So watcha think? Love it? Hate it? Should I just give up now? Please review, I love hearing from you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am now off of school! Hopefully I will be able to update more often, but I suppose it all depends on how fast the stories develop in my head. I hope this chapter is good, as it is a bit of filler. I know there is not much Tonks so far and absolutely no Remus, but I would love to hear what everyone thinks of Tonks so far. I would also love to hear any thoughts on Teddy. I don't want to write him as too young-sounding, but I don't want to make him out to be some kind of kid genius. I hope I found the right balance. On with the story!**

**They say that if you believe, you will get your wish. _I wish I owned Harry Potter. I wish I owned Harry Potter._ Nope. Didn't work.**

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Two weeks had passed and Teddy still didn't know how to find his father. He ruled out sending him an owl because then his mother would probably find out. He couldn't floo or take the Knight Bus because he didn't know where his father lived and asking would surely give it away. He would have to do something sneaky. He was the son of the head of the Auror department; surely he could think of something!

He decided the best strategy would be to wheedle war stories out of his relatives. Maybe it could give him clues about what his father was doing now. He shuffled through his Grandma Molly's mail occasionally to see if he still wrote her. He never found anything.

His first opportunity came one morning at breakfast. "I am going to have to leave for work this weekend," his Mum said as she put his bowl of cereal in front of him, "There is a defense conference in Paris that Harry and I need to go to. We should only be gone a few days. Aunt Ginny said that you can stay with her, if you like."

Teddy thought this was brilliant! All of his relatives were usually willing to share stories, but his Aunt Ginny was particularly good about it. Teddy suspected it had to be with being a writer. She always told him stories about the fun times of the Order of the Phoenix, and avoided the sad times. She said that would wait until his mother told him when he was older. She was close to Teddy's Mum, and was in his father's class her second year. Between Order stories and Hogwarts, she was a goldmine of information. "That's good," Teddy smiled, "How long will you be gone?"

Tonks smiled and kissed him on the top of his head. "Not long," she said, "I will be back on Sunday night and Kingsley gave me Monday off to make up for taking away weekend time with my little buddy."

"It is okay, Mum. I will be fine with Aunt Ginny."

"I know you will be. You don't need your old Mum around all the time. You'll be going off to Hogwarts soon," she said wistfully. Teddy noticed her smile was a little sadder, and he knew that she would miss him—not that she would ever tell him that, of course. "It is some of the greatest times of your life. I'm so excited for you."

Teddy nodded. Hopefully a few other exciting things would happen before then.

That weekend his Mum dropped him off with his Aunt Ginny. She hugged him tight and then straightened up, wobbling a bit on her high-heeled shoes that she only wore for conferences. "Don't give your Aunt Ginny any trouble," she admonished, "Play nice with James and make sure you don't leave Al and Lily out. No roughhousing with the little ones."

"I know, Mum."

"I love you, sweetie. I will see you Sunday."

"I love you, too, Mum." She kissed him on the head and turned to join Harry, who was saying goodbye to his family. They walked out the door and a moment later Teddy heard the crack of Disapparation. Now it was time to begin.

He decided to make his move that night while Aunt Ginny was cooking. He would normally sit at the counter and watch her and sometimes he even helped. Unfortunately, he had inherited his Mum's clumsiness, so Ginny had to be careful to avoid cooking accidents. "Aunt Ginny?" he asked in the most innocent voice he could manage, "Will you tell me a story?"

She paused in chopping the vegetables and turned to him, "What sort of story?"

"A story about my Mum in the Order," he demanded, knowing that most of the time stories with his Mum in some way involved his father.

She thought about it for a moment, and then smiled. That usually meant she had thought of a good one. "Have I ever told you the one about the Advance Guard?" Teddy shook his head. "Brilliant! Well, this happened the summer after Voldemort came back. I was fourteen at the time and your Mum was twenty-one; she had just joined the Order a couple months before. Anyway, Harry was at his aunt and uncle's house and got into a bit of trouble with some dementors. That is another story for another day. The Ministry was angry, so the Order had to go get him and bring him back to headquarters. They had to get his aunt, uncle, and cousin out of the way before they could get him. Your Mum had the idea to invite them to a made up ceremony to accept the 'All England Best-Kept Suburban Lawn' or something like that. They fell for it so a group, including your parents and Kingsley went to go get him…"

After that, Teddy sort of tuned her out. Her voice faded to a hum in the background with the steady rhythm of her knife chopping. That was exactly what he needed. The key wasn't _finding_ his father; it was getting his father to find _him_. His father wouldn't know to tell his Mum, because he would think he was meeting a… writer working on a book about the war. Yes. That was it. He was pretty sure his father had interviewed for a couple books, and had even written a few himself. Teddy could even morph to be an adult until he could tell his father.

Then came the difficult part. How would he get away from his Mum? He would think about that later. Now he needed to get to his Aunt Ginny's special quill, the one that did spellchecking and wrote whatever she told it to. Then he would need to find an owl…

"Teddy? Are you listening to me?" his Aunt Ginny asked, pulling him out of his planning.

"Sorry, I think I missed the last part."

"I see you thought my story was entertaining!"

"I'm sorry." He pulled up his innocent face again. It made her melt, just like he knew it would. "Could you please keep going?"

She smiled at him and continued the story. _She doesn't suspect a thing,_ he thought gleefully, then turned his attention back to the story so he didn't get caught not paying attention again. At this point in the story, his Mum and his father were flying with Harry and the Advance Guard over Muggle London. "Was he good at flying?" he asked curiously. He often wondered what he and his father would have done together. Would they have played Quidditch?

"He was a pretty good flyer. He didn't like it too much because he was usually pretty sore from the moon and such, but we could occasionally convince him to play a match or two with us. For travel he preferred flooing. Your Mum on the other hand, loved to fly. She may be the clumsiest person to ever walk the earth, but she is a very graceful flyer." Teddy smiled at that. "Why don't you tell the kids dinner is almost ready? Merlin knows it will take at least fifteen minutes for them to stop what they are doing and wash up." Teddy hopped down from the barstool and did as he was told. He now had a plan, now all he had to do was put it into action.

That night, after the rest of the house was asleep; Teddy crept out of the room he was sharing with James and into the office down the hall. He quietly rummaged in the desk drawer until he found it. He placed it on the paper, and let it float at the ready, just as he had seen his Aunt Ginny do on numerous occasions. He realized he didn't know exactly what he wanted to say. He cleared his throat nervously, and the quill turned to him in what could only be called expectation, but he wasn't entirely sure if a quill could be expectant. Teddy began nervously, thinking of the business letters his mother dictated to her quill.

_Dear Mr. R.J. Lupin,_

_I hope this letter finds you well._

There. That sounded professional and grown-up. What next?

_I am doing research on the activities of the Order of the Phoenix during the first and second wars against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and would like to hear about your experiences as a member. Would you please meet me at the Leaky Cauldron on Friday at twelve noon so we can discuss your involvement and your thoughts?_

_Sincerely,_

_John Wolfe_

It sounded suspiciously like a letter from a reporter that his mother had gotten. The reporter had wanted her comment on rumors about his Mum loving the Minister. His Mum had thrown in it the trash, calling it all rubbish. He hoped it wasn't the letter that was rubbish, because he really wanted his father to not throw it in the trash. He hoped more than anything that come Friday, he would meet his father for the first time. But first, he needed to find an owl. The Potters had an owl; he just needed to find out where he was.

He found Artemis in the attic, ruffling her golden feathers. Teddy approached her carefully and offered her an owl treat from the box. She hopped over to him eagerly and nipped at him until he gave her the treat. Teddy offered her the letter and she clamped it in her beak. "Artemis," Teddy said quietly, "This is very important. I need you to bring this letter to Remus Lupin. I don't know where he is, but I really need you to find him. Can you do that?" Artemis gave him a disdainful look, as if his words had deeply insulted her. With a proud little hoot she spread her wings and swooped out of the window. Now all Teddy could do was wait.

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**So, there it is. Please please please REVIEW! Any reviewers will get an imaginary home-cooked dinner courtesy of Ginny Potter. Complete with dessert.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! Sorry this took a while, but I was debating whether or not to leave Teddy's POV for a chapter or two. I decided that I would, so in this chapter we get to follow Tonks and Harry to the conference in Paris! I apologize to any French readers if they are offended. One French guy happens to be unpleasant. I do not have anything against the French. I live in an area that was settled by the French, so I know more French last names than other origins. That, combined with the fact that I had already decided the conference was in Paris before I decided that the welcoming committee was not going to be welcoming led to one unpleasant Frenchman. I hope that the other characters, who are in fact very sweet, make up for it! Anyway, on with the chapter!**

**I do not own Harry Potter. It belongs to JKR. I also do not own SPAT. It belongs to Nick Hornby and is from _About A Boy_. I recommend it and the movie, but mostly the book.**

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By the time Tonks and Harry arrived at their hotel, she was ready to hex the next person who looked at her wrong. She was already miffed about spending the weekend away from Teddy, not to mention apprehensive about leaving the Auror department in the hands of Ron Weasley. The "welcome" she had received from the newly-appointed Ministre de la Défense had not helped her attitude. Monsieur Boucher took one look at her and immediately turned to shake Harry's hand. He only shared Tonks a disdainful nod. He whispered loudly to his deputy in rapid French. "Oh, je ne savais pas que nous devions apporter nos secrétaires."

If he thought she would not understand, or else be too scandalized to respond, he was sadly mistaken. Tonks felt her anger flare, but thankfully remained composed on the outside, a feat she would not have been able to accomplish as a younger woman. She was satisfied to see the other foreign ministers shift uncomfortably. Clearly, they did not approve of Boucher's cheek. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry throw her a worried look; he may not have understood the words, but he understood the tone. He definitely caught the word "secrétaires." She shook her head almost unperceptively and plastered a placid smile on her face.

"I understand if you wish to bring your secretary with you Monsieur… Boucher, was it? It may have been over a decade ago, but I can still remember my first conference. A bit of help would have been nice, but it was a luxury I did not have—post-war budget, you understand. Perhaps you should bring Madame Dubois. After all, she has seen three of you come through that office. She can keep you informed about the important information, like whom are the department heads leading the conference. Maybe I should introduce myself to save you further embarrassment? I am the British Head Auror, Nymphadora Tonks," she said tightly in perfect French. She extended her arm for a handshake that he had no choice but to return. Once he was close she whispered, "But you knew that, did you not?"

A low murmur ran through the room as the French-speakers excitedly translated for their colleagues. Boucher opened his mouth to retaliate, but then closed it abruptly when his deputy grabbed his arm. Instead, he sent Tonks a loathing glare, as if to say his feaux pas was all her fault.

Ten years ago, Boucher's comment may have garnered a few chuckles at her expense and made her angry and embarrassed, but she had fought hard for the respect of her colleagues and won it honestly. Now, she casually summoned a passing waiter and took a champagne glass from his tray. She recognized a weak, underhanded attempt to climb the latter when she saw one. Clearly, Boucher was no Hufflepuff. He was also no Gryffindor, because he quickly retreated into the crowd to find someone else to antagonize or latch onto. She smiled while she sipped her drink, and then began introducing Harry to the other department heads.

Towards the end of the night, a man approached her as if she and Harry were a firing squad. Tonks recognized Boucher's deputy. "I apologize for my colleague's behavior, Madame Tonks. 'Zere are not words to say 'ow 'orrible I feed about zis… incident. 'Ze Président will not be 'appy…"

Tonks waved away his apology with a dry laugh. "What he says has nothing to do with you, but thank you for the apology. All he has accomplished is making himself look foolish. I only hope that he does not take his frustration out on Madame Dubois."

The man smiled. "I will see to it 'zat 'e does not. He would probably incite a riot. Madame Dubois 'as been 'andling 'ze office as long as anyone can remember. Boucher was merely a twinkle in 'is mozzer's eye when she was 'ired."

"I know, _I_ was not even a twinkle in my mother's eye yet," Tonks laughed, "Madame Dubois was very kind to me when I met her at my conference. If she was my secretary I would bring her with me. Well, I will see you tomorrow, Monsieur…"

"Lafayette," he supplied, "I am to take you to your 'otel, so we will say goodbyes then. I 'ope we can make up for Boucher's lack of 'ospitality. If you and Monsieur Potter will follow me, I will lead you to the car. Your luggage 'as already been delivered."

The hotel rooms were actually in a large multi-bedroom suite that looked so expensive Tonks was hesitant to touch anything for fear of breaking it. She wondered if the French Ministry kept the suite on hand to give to whomever Boucher offended. She collapsed on the plush sofa and kicked off her heels. They were very low, but they still made her feet ache. She rubbed them while Harry searched for the room service menu. He found it and began rattling off a list of meals.

"I'm thinking of stepping down," she stated flatly and without preamble. Harry looked up from his menu fast enough to give himself whiplash.

"I'm sorry, you what?" he choked.

"I am thinking of stepping down to deputy and letting you take the top job."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Boucher, does it?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Please," she snorted, "This has nothing to do with _La Grenouille_. I have been considering this for some time now. That is why I asked you to attend this conference with me. I wanted you to get a feel for the atmosphere before I threw you to the dogs. As you can see, politics are not always nice."

"Why now?"

"I have always been controversial, right from the off. There were many reasons people didn't want me as Head Auror. A twenty-five year-old single mum, married to a werewolf, and the niece of Bellatrix Lestrange? It is not exactly the formula for a favorite leader."

"That was then, now you are very popular! You've got all of Mad-Eye's training, but you are good with people. You made this department what it is, and you did it almost single-handedly. You are good at this! Just look at how you handled Boucher!"

"I _should_ have ignored him. I was in a bad temper, and I let that get in the way. I made a scene and only made Boucher resent me more. Believe it or not, he doesn't resent me for being a woman. That was only what he could attack me for. He resents me over the werewolf issue. His daughter was killed by one, so he can't stand that I am a vocal proponent of werewolf rights. The fact that I am younger than him and a woman tops it off." That gave Harry pause, so she continued, "When I joined the Aurors when I was eighteen, I had no intention of becoming Head Auror. I joined for the fieldwork, and before the war there was not enough money in the world to convince me to take the position. The war and Teddy changed things. Kingsley needed someone he trusted to take the job, and he was keen on putting me safely behind a desk. I knew I was all Teddy had, so I took the job. The salary and the regular hours have been a blessing, but I miss the field. Now the department is something I am proud to be a part of—and more importantly, something Mad-Eye would approve of—and Teddy is growing up…"

"And moving to Hogwarts," Harry finished. Tonks nodded. "That doesn't mean he has outgrown his mum. The best years are still to come, and Teddy needs you to stick around for those, too."

"Merlin! I am not _planning_ on getting killed! I am only saying that Teddy won't need me home for regular hours. I want to get back into the action. You have a wife and three kids and you are Harry Freaking Potter. Everyone expects for you to have the top job and the top pay. When I took the job, I told Kingsley I was going to give it to you as soon as I could."

"Don't be ridiculous. You know Ginny and I wouldn't have to work at all if we didn't want to. We chose to work because we don't like being idle. Besides I do less field work and work less hours than you do."

"Because you are easily recognizable and I do not assign you much. You are lucky I am an insomniac or you would have a lot more paperwork."

"I know you are just looking for something to fill your time, but believe me, you will regret this. Get yourself a hobby. Find some new bloke."

"Harry, when have I ever just 'found some new bloke?'"

"Never," he said, "That is the problem. You don't make time to think about what you want."

"I _want_ to keep busy. I _want_ to spend time with my son. I _do not_ want to get back into the dating world."

"Why not? What is the worst that could happen?"

Tonks quirked her eyebrow to communicate how dim she thought his question was. "Do you have any idea how hard dating is for a metamorphmagus? Even good men get ideas when they know you can make yourself look like anything. By the time I met Remus, I had been messed around a few too many times and I was ready to give up. I fell head over heels and you know how it ends. He was the only one who truly understood the challenges of being a shape shifter. I was twenty and reasonably pretty last time I dated; do you really think a man would appreciate me as a thirty-six year-old mother when he could ask me to turn into a young blonde bombshell? I won't have it." She exhaled deeply, and then continued. "I am not holding out for Remus, if that is what you are thinking. I gave up on him long ago. I am happy with my life just as it is. I don't want it to change, but I know it is going to when Teddy leaves."

"I'm telling you that you will regret stepping down. If you want field work, fine. Take over Kingsley's protection detail and morph before you go out on assignments. Blowing off some steam will do you good every now and again. I am warning you, though, I do not want your job; I will not take it. If you want Ron to run the Auror Department, send in your resignation papers. Otherwise, I am afraid you will have to stay put."

Tonks glared at him. "You are a devious man, Harry Potter."

"I learned from the best," he chuckled, "Does this mean you will stay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, but I am taking on some field work and you have to tell Molly, Ginny, and whoever else is setting me up on blind dates to stop. I am officially adopting the title of spinster."

"They are only trying to help," Harry protested.

"That doesn't make it better for me. I still haven't forgotten the S.P.A.T. episode."

"It was called _Single Parents Alone Together_, and Hermione thought it would do you good," he paused, "and I think she liked the name."

"Of course she did! It is most unfortunate acronym besides S.P.E.W."

"Fair point, you have a deal. I will tell them to lay off if you keep your job."

She smiled grudgingly. "It's a deal. Now, pass me the menu. We are eating off the French Ministry's ticket and I feel splurging. Fingers crossed it comes out of Boucher's paycheck." Satisfied that he had averted a crisis, Harry lobbed her the menu.

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**Yeah. I don't speak French, only snatches of Acadian/Cajun French. I hope my translation app works. If not tell me. Boucher said, "Oh, I didn't know we were to bring our secretaries."**

**Please review and tell me if this chapter worked even though it jumped POV. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took so long! For some reason, I could not decide how I wanted to start it. I actually started it three different ways total. I hope this was worth the wait. Yes, we do see a bit of Remus in this chapter, and more importantly, so does Teddy!**

**I love reading your reviews, and I like to show my appreciation for them. Since I have all this extra material, I will send it to anyone who reviews as a thank you. So, please review!**

**I don't really think I need to say that I did not write Harry Potter. If I did, we would STILL be waiting on the fifth book.**

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Before Teddy was ready for it, Friday came. Meeting his father seemed like such a good idea at the time. As the day approached, however, the nerves began to settle in like a rock in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea what he was going to say or even how he was going to get to the Leaky Cauldron. Then there was the worst question of all: What if his father did not want to meet him? What if he didn't like him? Surely he should harbor some fatherly affection for him? Whether or not he was ready, Friday was there.

Luckily, it was nearing time Uncle George and Aunt Angelina to watch him at the joke shop. That put him in Diagon Ally, but he had to escape from right under the noses of two adults well versed in trickery and his two cousins. He could only hope that they store would be busy and he could morph into an adult and sneak away without catching anyone's notice.

His mum was only somewhat suspicious when he begged to go see Uncle George on Friday. No doubt he would have to submit to a thorough search for contraband pranking supplies when he got home, but she let him go anyway.

Like most mornings, his mother was a whirlwind of energy. Toast was in the toaster and an iron was working on a fresh set of Auror robes. Teddy's clothes for the day had already been ironed and were laying on the sofa. His mum was seated at the table lazily orchestrating it all with her wand while gnawing on a piece of toast and dictating to her quill. She was already dressed and morphed for the day. "Teddy! You need to hurry up or we will be late!" she called, and then looked up to see him at the bottom step, "There is my little man," she smiled and waved his toast over onto a plate. She laughed at his grimace at the childish nickname. She got up to pour him a glass of juice and top off her tea cup. She may be much improved in her household spells, but she still refused to levitate liquids.

"You look tired," she observed, "Didn't you sleep well? You look like you could use a whole pint of pepper-up potion." She was still smiling, but couldn't quite mask her concern.

Teddy panicked. He couldn't tell her he was nervous about meeting his father, because she couldn't know about any of it. He couldn't lie, because she always knew when she did. He realized that is mum was still looking at him expectantly. "I... I had trouble falling asleep," be stammered quickly.

His mum stared at him suspiciously and he knew he did not fool her. He tried not to squirm under her gaze. Her eyes were an unsettling and vaguely familiar electric blue color that seemed to be able to peer straight into him. "You have been acting strangely jumpy lately," she said, "Are you sure there is nothing you want to tell me? You know you can tell me anything."

Her eyes turned a warm liquid brown that reminded him of a puppy's. She was laying on the guilt thick. Teddy fought the urge to spill his guts-and his breakfast. "Nothing is wrong," he tried to assure her. Her eyes shifted back to normal and the suspicious gaze returned, but she thankfully let it go.

"Well, eat up and put those clothes on. George and Angelina will be waiting for you. I am sure Fred and Roxanne have a whole day of mischief planned out so you need to perk up."

After Teddy was dressed and his mum had gathered the paperwork that had previously been scattered across the kitchen table into a haphazard stack and threw it into her briefcase, they left through the floo. As always, he and his mum both stumbled over the grate on their way out of the fireplace, alerting the house to their arrival.

"You need to stop sneaking in so quietly," George said, "You are going to frighten us one day if you carry on this way."

"Wotcher, George. Where are Angelina and the kids?"

"They are downstairs in the shop. They decided to get a headstart on us this morning and fed the cat canary creams while we were still asleep. Angelina is supervising them while they restock the shelves as their punishment—her idea. I thought it was brilliant, half cat, half canary. Unfortunately the poor dear started to try to gnaw on itself. Angelina was not happy."

"I take it you and the cat are not getting on any better."

"I keep telling myself it has to start mellowing out with age, but it still looks at me the same way it did when she moved in. Mittens is such a sweet name, too. Shall I call them up to say hello?"

"No, I am running late as it is. I will just have to see them when I pick Teddy up this afternoon." She kissed Teddy's forehead and ruffled his hair, "Have fun, but don't get into too much trouble. I will see you later. Thanks, George." With that, she flooed out of the living room in a rush of green flame. For a moment, Teddy wished he has told her about his plans, but he knew it was better this way.

"So," George said, clapping his hands together in false enthusiasm, "Want to help me force-feed a cat the Canary Cream antidote?"

If Teddy was nervous or jumpy, no one else noticed. The shop was filled with customers to keep Uncle George and Aunt Angelina busy, and Fred and Roxanne were on a mission to get back on their mother for making them restock the shelves. It was easy for him to sneak away from the shop floor and into Uncle George's room. He pulled on one of his uncle's more low-key outfits and morphed his body to fit. He had been practicing this morph all week, but he was still unsteady walking on the longer legs. Uncle George was taller and lankier than planned. He had also practiced a gruffer voice, but had decided to swipe a potion from downstairs that could make a child sound like an adult. He chugged it quickly; it tasted lemony. He tested it out. "Hello, Mr. Lupin. I am John Wolfe." His voice startled him. It was deeper and huskier, but still his in a peculiar way. He checked his reflection in the mirror and flooed to the Leaky Cauldron before he lost his nerve.

He stumbled out onto the hearth rug and walked to the bar. He felt as if something roughly the size of Mittens was fighting inside his stomach like the old cat had when George made it take the antidote. Mrs. Longbottom was wiping down the glasses and lining them up in an orderly row. She looked up when she saw Teddy approach. "Can I help you?" she asked brightly.

"Er… yes," he said with his new, grown-up voice, "I am meeting Remus Lupin. Could you tell him I'm here when he arrives?"

"No need," she said, pointing across the crowded pub to where Mr. Longbottom was talking to an older man with scars and greying hair. His heart started pounding so hard that Teddy feared everyone in the room could hear. He barely noticed Mrs. Longbottom continue on, unfazed by his inattention. "Yes, well I suppose you had best go and see him. Nice meeting you Mr…?"

"Wolfe," he said and turned to approach the table where his _father_ was talking to Mr. Longbottom. His father stood when he looked up and saw him walking towards them. "Mr. Wolfe?" he asked cautiously. His voice was shockingly similar to Teddy's grown up voice.

Teddy nodded, "You must be Mr. Lupin."

His father nodded, but it was Mr. Longbottom that spoke. "Well, I will leave you two to it. It was good seeing you Remus," he turned to Teddy, "He was my teacher you know; the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we ever had. That family he tutors for is lucky to have him, even if he is wasted there. I wish he would take the position in Hogwarts and be my coworker. I want him to teach _my_ children."

"You know that would be inappropriate with the situation being what it is," his father interrupted mysteriously.

"Well, you know all of our opinions on the situation," Mr. Longbottom said gruffly, then bid them goodbye.

"Take a seat," his father said. Only then did Teddy realize he was just standing there staring dumbly at his father. He hurriedly fell into the chair.

"So, er, Mr. Lupin…"

"Call me Remus."

"Fine, Remus," he said, but couldn't think of anything to say after that. He was so worried about actually meeting his father that he hadn't put much thought into what he was going to say when he did.

"You had some questions for me…?" His father edged.

Teddy blurted out the only question he could think of. "Why did you leave your wife when she was going to have a baby?" He felt horribly small and vulnerable when he asked it, and his voice felt weak.

His father visibly paled, throwing his scars into sharper relief. "I… I'm sorry that is a bit private. I don't talk about it and I don't see how it could possibly be beneficial to your book."

Just as he said this two silver balls of light flew into the pub and materialized into a glowing monkeys, one in front of his father and one in front of Mr. Longbottom. "Teddy has gone missing," it said with Uncle George's voice, "I have notified Tonks and she has sent out Aurors. The Order is asked to search for him as well. He was last seen in my shop. If you find him, send a Patronus." With that, the monkeys faded away. The patrons of the Leaky Cauldron stared at the place where they had been in a mixture of horror and amazement. Teddy's stomach dropped to his feet. He was busted, and would surely be grounded until he left for Hogwarts once his mum found him. He looked up at his father.

He had jumped up from his chair with his wand out. "My son," he said, "I need to find him." He began to walk away without so much as a goodbye to Teddy, but Teddy reached out and seized his hand. He turned to look at Teddy with panic-stricken eyes that soon widened in wonder. "Teddy?" he asked in disbelief.

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**So what do you think? Please review! Remember there is bonus content if you do!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter-finally! We have the whole family reunion in this chapter, so we will see how that goes. I hope this is good, because I really wanted to get this right! To those who follow my other fics, they should be updated soon. I am going on vacation next week and I do not know if I will have time/internet to update, so I really wanted to get this story into a better place. I think I sort of did that. I have started the next Holding It Together chapter, so if I have internet (I think I will) I will try to update that next week.**

**I don't own Harry Potter, but if you mistook my writing for the writing of the brilliant JKR, I am extremely flattered and you must have never read a HP book in your life.**

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Remus could only stare at the man, the child, before him; his child. "Teddy?" he gasped.

Teddy dropped his morph. "How did you know?" he asked.

"I was suspicious from the beginning. I recognized Harry's owl. Your eyes were the real giveaway. You have your mother's eyes and her morphing. You remind me of her very much. You know she did something almost exactly like this to Harry's aunt and uncle?" he answered. It was only half the truth. The other half was much harder to admit to. Perhaps the most stunning similarity was the tone in Teddy's voice when he grabbed Remus' wrist and begged him to wait. It reminded him so much of Dora, and the last time he spoke to her. That is, in the moment before she realized he would not relent, when she still had hope. The last glance of his wife's anguished face when she thought he was not looking still haunted him. Seeing it on his son's face was too much. "You look so much like Dora."

"A lot of people say that," Teddy sighed, "Mostly because of the morphing. Most people say I remind them of you."

Remus saw it now. Teddy's voice was similar to his and he had his sandy colored hair, today anyway. His build was tall and lanky like his. There was no denying that this was his son, the son that he did not know.

"Teddy," Remus asked, "Why did you run away from George's shop? Why did you lie to get me here?"

"I wanted to meet you, at least just once before I go to school," he said desperately, "I'm turning eleven soon, and all the other kid will know their fathers and I wouldn't have known hardly anything at all! You're not… mad, are you?"

That innocent statement hit Remus like a punch to the gut. Not for the first time, he began to doubt is decision to stay away. "I'm not angry," he assured him, "I just think we should probably tell your mother and the others before they worry themselves sick." Teddy looked more contrite at that. Remus raised his wand to cast the patronus, but shouts from across the pub distracted him before he could say the incantation.

"There he is!" a young witch in Auror robes shouted to alert her companion. She trained her wand on Remus. "Sir, put your wand down and raise your hands where I can see them."

Remus sighed and did as instructed. "It is not what it looks like," he protested, but was interrupted again.

"Blimy," the other Auror said in disbelief, "That's Remus Lupin. And Auror Tonks refused to even believe her estranged husband could be behind it."

"I'm telling you, I did not kidnap Teddy," Remus cried, grimacing at the word _estranged_.

"It is true," Teddy offered anxiously, "I tricked him into coming here and then snuck out of Uncle George's shop by morphing into an adult." He did not want to be responsible for his father being thrown in prison.

"I can verify that Teddy came here morphed as an adult and met with Mr. Lupin," Neville said, edging himself in between Remus and the Aurors. "He was just as surprised as anyone when the patronus came to tell us Teddy was missing. He shot up immediately to help in the search, but Teddy stopped him. You came in shortly after." Remus shot Neville and thankful look.

The two Aurors looked at each other and whispered briefly. "We had better call the boss lady and let her decide what to do," the female Auror announced decisively. Remus thanked his lucky stars that they were not the curse first, ask questions later sort of Aurors, but then the gravity of the situation dawned on him. He was about to see his wife for the first time in eleven years.

Before he could collect his thoughts—though admittedly that would have taken quite a long time—Dora swept into the room. Her eyes and her wand were locked on Remus. "You!" she spluttered, a look of betrayal contorting her features, "I can't believe…" Her hair was changing to a vibrant red in her fury. Her team of Aurors shrunk back with looks of mingled apprehension and excitement. Remus could only stare back in mute horror. Never had Dora looked at him like that. This was not the sweet, gentle person he married; this was a mother bear protecting her cub.

Dora composed her features and adopted a brusque, businesslike tone. Remus had to admire her cool demeanor. He felt as if his insides were writhing like something alive. "Neville, I require a private room to have a little chat with Mr. Lupin. Could you please watch Teddy for me? Teddy, love, come away."

"No." The room fell so deathly silent that the clock ticking on the mantle seemed obscenely loud. All eyes were darting between the Head Auror and her son, who was now standing firmly between his father and his mother's wand. Remus pushed him to the side just as Tonks dropped her wand arm to her side.

"Excuse me?" Tonks choked once she had regained her voice.

"I said no," Teddy said plainly, his arms crossed in a manner that Remus thought startlingly reminiscent of his mother. "I asked him to come and I won't let you make him go away."

"He never needed my command to leave before," she quipped bitterly, causing Remus to recoil as if he had been slapped. She then turned to Neville, "Is this true?"

"I don't see how it couldn't be," he said plainly.

Tonks replied with a curt nod and seemed to make up her mind on her course of action. "Aurors, you are all dismissed. I can see this is a private family matter, not a security concern. You may all go back to your posts. I do not want to see any paperwork on this. Neville, please send a patronus to tell the Order that Teddy has been found. I would prefer if you kept the rest of it to yourself for the moment." Neville nodded and assured her that he would be discreet. The Aurors left the pub, chattering excitedly as they did so. "I also don't want to hear any gossip about this!" Dora shouted after them.

She took a moment to restore her hair to the mahogany pixie cut she had arrived with before turning to Remus with a carefully guarded expression. "I think you and I need to have a talk. We should go to my house where it is private rather than continuing to make a scene in poor Hannah's pub. You and Teddy can talk things over after." She then gathered Teddy up in her arms. "You scared me half to death Teddy Bear."

"Mu-um!" he whined, but was really just thankful he hadn't been grounded—yet. "I really am sorry."

"I know you are. Let's go home, shall we?" She lead them out to Diagon Ally, where she grabbed them both by the arm and Apparated them away.

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**Well, there it is! They are talking again, in a sense. Surely it is only uphill from here! Please read an review. Reading your encouragement and critiques make my day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is the next update everyone! I would like to take the moment to thank everyone who has favorited this story or put it on their alert list. I would also like to thank anyone who has reviewed as a guest or anonymously, since I can't PM you to thank you personally. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story and giving feedback for what you like or don't like. On with the story!**

**Harry Potter is property of J.K. Rowling, who made a wonderful appearance reading at the Olympic opening ceremonies in case you haven't hear. I hear Moldy Voldy also made an appearance. This means we she definitely get a book on what he was doing there and how he got beaten by Mary Poppins :)**

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Tonks, Teddy, and Remus landed outside the gate to the front garden. Tonks immediately dropped Remus' hand as if were a hot iron. "This is Hillcrest Cottage," Tonks informed him brusquely, "It was an utter wreck when I bought it, but some magic and a bit of manual labo set it right." Teddy knew she was letting him in on the secret. People who had never been there before seemed to always miss the house's very existence. Once his mum told them about it, they were able to see the homey old redbrick cottage on the hilltop and its garden of mismatched wildflowers and ivy that had a habit of leaving its flowerbed to creep up the bricks to peer in the white-trimmed windows.

"It's lovely. You have done in excellent job with it," Remus said cautiously, but with clear admiration.

"Thanks," she said with a sharp nod to acknowledge his compliment, and then began striding towards the door, still holding onto Teddy by the hand. The sudden Disapparation had left Teddy feeling slightly ill and disoriented. He struggled to keep pace with his mother's quick steps, and frequently looked over his shoulder at his father, embarrassed to be dragged along in such a childish fashion. They had barely made it over the threshold when Tonks turned to Teddy and said, "Teddy, go up to your room."

"But Muum…" he began to whine, but she cut him off.

"Theodore, do as I say. Your father and I need to talk."

Teddy knew she meant business when she called him _Theodore_, so he decided it was probably best for him to listen. His foot was on the first step when he felt a stab of worry in his stomach. What if his father left before he could get any of his questions answered? He turned to ask his father to please stay, but his mum noticed his glance before he could. "You can talk to him later," she assured him, "But he and I have to talk about a few things first." He turned to his father, who nodded with a small, nervous smile. Teddy grinned back in return before he jogged up to his room, dropping an Extendable Ear by the living room door as he went.

Remus stood awkwardly in the middle of Dora's living room with his hands shoved deeply into his pockets. He could barely look at her stony expression. He had heard that no one was better in the interrogation room than her, and he could see why. Her look had the distinct air of Mad-Eye Moody, with both eyes focusing straight ahead as normal eyes should, of course. She was not glaring, just staring at him with a cool, calculating expression, as if she were sifting through his brain as he stood in front of her. Even though he knew she was not, the effect was unsettling. He knew she was angry, as she had every right to be. He wished she would say something, or even yell or throw things; anything but that stony gaze.

Finally, she spoke. "So, had fun playing Dad, did you?"

He winced. This was not going to be easy. "I don't think I deserve to be called his dad," he answered truthfully.

She grinned with a strange glint of malice in her eyes. "You're bloody right, you don't!" she said, "You may be his father, but you have not earned the title of 'Dad.' You forfeited that right when you walked out on…"

"I was wrong!" he exploded suddenly, his hand gripping a fistful of hair as it always did when he was overcome. "I was wrong to leave the two of you! I have spent eleven years trying to convince myself that I did the right thing, and most of the time I believed it. I could never quite get rid of the doubts, though, and they only get louder and louder, but I couldn't come back. I turned your life upside down to many times to ever come back. Now I've wasted all this time and I'm so sorry…"

Dora, who had previously been in a state of shock, recovered. "Sorry?" she laughed coldly, "You disappear from our lives for eleven years and you're _sorry_? I suppose we are to welcome you back with open arms because you are sorry and you have come to be Daddy. Last I recall you weren't so thrilled with the prospect of fatherhood."

"We were both scared," he protested.

"But only you ran away!"

"Dora, please listen…"

"Don't call me that!" she said sharply, "It's Tonks to you."

"Okay, Tonks," he conceded, wincing at her surname because in part of his mind, she would always be Mrs. Lupin. "I'm not here to try to pick things up where we left of. Merlin! When I woke up this morning I didn't have any idea I would be here at all! I just want to salvage some kind of relationship with our son."

She sighed deeply and fell to the couch. He could tell she was done fighting for now, but was by no means giving in. "That's what I've always wanted, I suppose. For you to want to know Teddy, I mean. So now that you've decided to exercise your parental rights, I assume you will want to take him away every other weekend or something like that."

"I know that is the only time you really get to see much of him. Why don't I see during the week while you are at work? I only tutor in the afternoons a few days a week, so I should be able to take him then."

She nodded in agreement. Remus could tell she was trying to hide her relief that he was not going to take any of the quickly dwindling time she had with her son. "That is probably the best option. I really do want you have time with him, Remus. I want him to know you. It doesn't matter what happened between… between us. I won't stand in the way Remus, but you have to understand that this is not a short term thing. Once you enter Teddy's life, you don't get to walk out again. If you can't handle that, I suggest you tell him now and leave before you can do more damage."

"I'm not going to leave," he said firmly, and it felt so right to say it at last. In his heart, he knew he was not only talking about Teddy. He only hoped he wasn't too late.

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**Thanks for reading. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**So here is the next chapter. This time we get to hear from Tonks. Sorry this one took longer than I planned to post this. I wasn't sure how to start it and I'm still not sure how I like it. My new Doctor Who addiction and preparing to move to England for a semester AND getting ready to move houses have been keeping ms busy. Sorry! I hope it was worth the wait!**

**I still don't own Harry Potter. I'm thinking I never will. Sigh.**

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"Well, I suppose I should get Teddy from upstairs?" Tonks asked.

Remus went pale. "Yes," he muttered, "I suppose you should."

"He's a ten- year-old, not a Death Eater, Remus. You don't need to look like I'm giving you a death sentence."

"I'm nervous," he admitted sheepishly, "I don't want to disappoint him."

Tonks shrugged. "If you leave again, you will disappoint him for sure."

She turned to walk to the hall door. Remus' voice stopped her. "He seems like a really great kid, Dora," he called, "I know you don't need my approval, but you're... you're a great mum."

"Astonishing, isn't it?" she laughed dryly.

"No. Not really."

"Well, thanks I guess," she muttered, then made her way up to Teddy's room.

Tonks swore loudly when she tripped on her way up the stairs.

"Dora? Are you alright?"

She heard the sofa squeak when he got up to check on her. She felt the color rise to her cheeks and quickly morphed it away. Bloody perfect, she thought, so much for dignity. "I'm fine!" she snapped a bit more harshly than she intended, "Just stay where you are!"

She heard him sink back into the cushions and breathed a sigh of relief. At least she would be able to keep some of her pride. As she lay face-down on the steps, she could not believe her bloody luck. First her son goes missing and nearly scares her to death. Then, her absentee husband is back and wanting to be a part of their son's life-just their son's, she reminded herself forcefully. Now, she falls up the stairs and embarrasses herself in front if him. Bloody perfect. She hoped that the powers that be were getting a kick out of this, because she was certainly not amused.

She looked at her feet to see what had tripped her up and swore again, softly this time. Her bad luck had just gotten worse. A fleshy colored string attached to an ear had entangled itself between her feet. That could mean only one thing. Teddy had been listening in on them.

Tonks pulled herself to her feet and clambered up the remaining stairs. She followed the Extendable Ear cord to Teddy's door, all the while envisioning the hexes she was going to inflict on George when she saw him next. She could hear faint sniffling noises from the other side of the door. She knocked on it cautiously. Teddy took after both his parents in the respect that he didn't like anyone to see him cry.

"Teddy?" she called, "It's Mummy. Can I please come in?"

"Sure," he called weakly after a brief pause Tonks knew he was using to wipe the tears off his face. When she opened the door and saw him, his face was dry, but still slightly pink from crying. He hadn't mastered the art of morphing away emotion. Tonks tried to not give him cause to practice.

She sat on the edge of his bed and patted the spot next to her. "Come now, you're not too old to cuddle your mother. Why don't you come over here and tell me what's wrong? I know you were listening."

"He left because of me," Teddy said sadly, "Neither of you wanted me."

"Come here," she said with open arms. He allowed himself to be wrapped up in a tight hug. "Now, what have I told you about eavesdropping?"

"Always make sure you bug is hidden?" he guessed, clearly bemused as to why his mother would choose this moment for a lesson on espionage.

"Well, yes, that too. What I meant was that eavesdroppers hardly ever get the whole story. Listen to me, your father did not leave because of you..."

"But..."

"No. He didn't leave because of you. I don't even think he left because of me, and it took a very long time for me to realize that. He left because he was afraid, and no one could have changed that. He left me before you were born, and no doubt would have left again even if I never was pregnant with you."

"But you still didn't want me!" Teddy cried.

"There is a very big difference between unwanted and unplanned," Tonks replied shakily. She had never wanted Teddy to find all of this out like this. This was exactly why she had kept the circumstances around Remus leaving away from her son. "I reckon you would have to be mad to plan on bringing a baby into the world when the future is that uncertain. Becoming a parent is scary under the best of circumstances. You tell me it isn't when it is your turn one day. I was certain I would be the most horrible mother on the planet, if I survived at all! You are my greatest blessing, always remember that. If you had any doubt that I love you, well, I haven't done my job properly, have I?"

"No! You are a great Mum! I just wondered... Would it be different if I weren't here? Would you and him still be..."

"I'll tell you what would be different," she interrupted, "I would be a very lonely workaholic."

"Do you hate him?" Teddy asked.

That gave her pause. Did she hate him? Hate is a very strong word, after all. "No," she answered slowly, "I don't hate him. When you live someone like that, I don't think you ever loose those feelings completely. He's... well, he's not my favorite person. We'll leave it at that. Are you ready to meet him properly?"

"I don't know," he said quietly. He looked so conflicted that Tonks couldn't help but pull him into an even tighter hug.

"I think you should give him a chance. Your father is a good man. He wants to get to know you, but it is completely your decision. So, what do you say?"

"Sure," Teddy said, "May as well, now that he is here. Are you sure he wants to see me?"

Tonks nodded, "Positive."

Teddy beamed and led her down the stairs by the hand to the living room where his father waited.

Remus jumped from his seat when they reentered the room. "Got everything sorted?" he asked anxiously.

"Yeah," Tonks answered, "I suppose I should give the two of you some privacy. I'll just go upstairs and the two of you can talk down here."

"Don't be ridiculous, Dora. You can stay down here."

"No, Remus, I don't think I should. This is about you and Teddy."

"I'm no going to push you out of your own livingroom. Teddy and I can go to my place and I can bring him back."

Tonks chewed on her lip for a moment. She knew the sorts of places Remus lived before they had married, and she was sure she did not want Teddy around that. Of course, Remus was working now. She had no reason to believe he was still living in poverty. Still... "Fine, but I want you to take me with you so I can find it in case of emergency. I'm sure your house is just as unplottable as mine, so I highly doubt I will be able to find it without you letting me in on the secret. It's not that I don't trust you..."

"I understand. I will most certainly show you where I live. You should know where we are," Remus answered fervently. If Tonks wasn't still more than slightly furious with him, she would be grateful that he understood her overprotective nature.

When no one moved or said anything to indicate an impending departure, Tonks began to grow impatient. "Shouldn't we be getting a move on?" she hinted, none too subtly.

Teddy and Remus both abandoned their previous occupation of stealing nervous glances at each other to look at her with wide eyes popping out of pale faces. They both looked as if they had recently disembarked from a small boat after sailing incredibly rough seas.

Remus coughed hoarsely to regain his composure. "Yes," he stammered, "I suppose we should. I will just side-along apparate both of you and you can apparate yourself back, Dora, if that is okay with you."

"That's fine," she said and turned to lead the way to the edge of the apparation charms. She allowed Remus to take her hand and soon the familiar squeezing sensation propelled them into darkness.

They landed in a wooded area, though Tonks could not see a house, or even a break in the trees. From the way Teddy was craning her neck in an effort to see the house, she knew he could not see it either.

"I live in Woodale Cottage," Remus said, and Tonks felt a slight ripple in the air. The wood melted away to reveal a small stone cottage. It was so Remus, she thought. The cottage was ancient-looking and shabby, but meticulously cared for. The shrubbery was neatly trimmed, the door and window casings painted, and the path tidied. He always was a neat nick.

"Meets your approval?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, "You've not changed much in that respect, have you?"

"No, I suppose not. I like to think I have changed in others."

"Yes, well, in eleven years I'd be worried if you didn't. I had best be off and let the two of you get acquainted."

"You don't want to come in? I wasn't ready for visitors, but surely we are past that."

"No, Remus. I really should be going. Work stuff, you know," she answered, though she had no intention of going back to work. Ginny would be dying to hear about the Teddy situation, assuming Neville didn't gave loose lips.

"Oh, well, I will see you later this evening then. I'll bring him home about seven?"

"That's fine," she answered, then turned to Teddy, "Please behave. I can't take anymore stunts today. I think I may have gone grey from the last one!"

"Mum, you can change it back if you did," Teddy pointed out."

"Even so," she bent down to kiss him on the forehead even though Teddy tried to squirm away, "I love you. See you tonight."

"You too. Bye Mum."

Tonks stood up again and did what she had been avoiding. She looked Remus dead in the eyes. "Goodbye, Remus," she said evenly.

"I'll see you later... Tonks."

She nodded sharply in response and crossed the apparation boundaries and left for the Potter's. She knew Ginny may possibly have cake and a cup of tea ready... or maybe a large glass of red wine.

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**So what do you think? Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the long time between updates! I was busy getting ready for my semester abroad. I am settled in now (for the most part), so hopefully I will be able to update more. Any thoughts and prayers would be appreciated as I adjust to living in a new country and being on my own for the first time. But don't worry, two sunny weekends in London in a row, I'm not exactly suffering :)**

**So for this chapter, we are jumping back to Teddy's POV. He and Remus are having their first father and son chat! I hope this makes up for the long wait. Please leave me a review!**

**I don't own Harry Potter. I do own a copy of Casual Vacancy, but a stack of required reading is standing between us.**

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Teddy followed his father through the garden gate up a neatly trimmed path and up the stone steps to the front door. He thought his father's house seemed quite nice, in his opinion, if much different than his. His Mum had a bit of a careless approach to gardening and housekeeping. She kept it under control and insisted that Teddy do his fair share of chores, but their house always held its slightly wild appearance. Teddy thought their garden looked like the perfect place for faeries to live, with wild blossoms and twisting vines. Occasionally, his Gran would try to get his Mum to make their garden look more tended, but she never did and Teddy was glad. He thought that his Gran would approve of his father's garden, even if she did not approve of his father, and Teddy had the suspicion that she did not.

Teddy was called back to reality by his father muttering the counter-spells to the locking charms on the door. The door swung open to reveal a sitting room every bit as tidy as the garden. That was not surprising. What was surprising were the pictures on the mantle. There were three. One was unfamiliar, and depicted four boys in Hogwarts school robes laughing. The ones that drew his attention were ones he had seen many times. The first was of his Mum holding him the day he was born. Her hair was brown and was stuck to her face in places by sweat. She looked tired, but she was smiling broadly down at Teddy. His hair was shifting colors every so often, first sandy brown, then blue, then orange, then black. The next picture showed only Teddy and was more current. It was Christmas at the Burrow and he was opening a gift from his Uncle Harry.

His father noticed his focus. "Harry sends me pictures and letters. I like seeing you happy and hearing about you growing up so clever..." he trailed of distractedly, "I suppose you still have questions. Why don't I make us some tea and we can talk? You just make yourself comfortable."

Teddy thought that was a rather impossible request because this situation was anything but comfortable. If his father had asked him to sit there and say… be queasy, or panic, he would be able to do that just fine. But to make himself comfortable? It is not every day you meet your father for the first time. He listened to his father fumble around in the kitchen from his perch on the sofa. It had deep, squishy cushions that would be easy to sink into, but Teddy's back was rigid in anticipation. There was no going back from this moment, and he knew it. He could never redo this moment if it went wrong.

His father came back in the sitting room carrying two mugs of tea and with a package of biscuits tucked under his arm. He laid them out in front of Teddy. "I'll let you put your own sugar in," he said, "I don't know how you take it." Teddy thought there was a bit of regret in his voice, as if how he took his tea was fundamental information that it was his duty as father to know.

"I like it with lots of sugar," Teddy said, "Everyone says I got my sweet tooth from you."

His father smiled. "Yes, I do like my sweets," he admitted, "Especially chocolate. I always carry a bit on me. For dementors, you know."

They fell off into an awkward silence, each stealing glances at the other over their mugs of tea. "I'm sure you still want to know the answer to the first question you asked me. Why did I leave?" His father finally asked.

Teddy shook his head quickly. What if his Mum was wrong? What if it was Teddy's fault? "You don't have to tell me," He said, "I don't need to know."

"I think you should know. What you must know is that I did not leave because I didn't want to be a father. I wish I could have been."

"Then why didn't you?"

"It is hard to explain, and even harder to understand. I'm not even quite sure I fully understand it myself. I just knew… deep down, that I couldn't stay. I wasn't good for your Mum. Her aunt swore that she would kill her after we were married. I tainted the bloodline, you see. She very nearly succeeded one night before we knew that Dora was pregnant with you. That was when I knew marrying was a mistake. Then, when we found out about you… I knew there was no other way. It made leaving harder, but more necessary than ever. So, I ran away. After we got home after the attack at Mr. Bill and Mrs. Fleur's wedding, I brought your mother to her parents' house and left her on the doorstep. I never came back. I was afraid. I was afraid of hurting you or your mother. I was afraid of being happy and losing everything all over again."

Teddy did not interrupt his father through all of this, as he was talking so fast it was a struggle to catch all of it. "Did you ever want to come back?" he asked when his father stopped for breath.

"All the time. I've watched you grow up through pictures and letters…my only child…you have no idea how much I wanted to know you, to hold you once. Knowing what was happening with you made it so much harder to live with, but it reminded me why I was staying away. You and your mother were happy and smiling because I couldn't hurt you. Whenever I had a weak moment, I looked back on the pictures and the letters. I couldn't bear to come back and risk taking away those smiles. You are the two most important people to me. Being away doesn't change that."

"But you won't go away this time," Teddy demanded.

"No," he said, "I won't leave again. I can see I made a mistake. Everyone says I am a coward for staying away, and maybe they are right. I can never go back and make up the years I missed, but I can do my best to be there for you for the rest of them."

"Do you promise?" Teddy asked.

"I promise," Remus said, and Teddy smiled in return.

Once that sticky bit of conversation was out of the way, Teddy quite enjoyed the time he spent with his father. He got answers to a lot of his questions, but nowhere near all of them. His father probably would not have been the one to teach him to ride a broom, because his Mum and godfather were both much better at it. He promised to take him to a match, though. He had supported Puddlemere United since he his father took him to a game when he was small and still did, unless, of course, they were playing the Holyhead Harpies. It would simply be wrong not to choose Ginny's team, he insisted. His favorite candy was Honeyduke's classic chocolate bar, just like Teddy's. He couldn't really say what his favorite book was, because he loved so many. He was a Gryffindor in school, which Teddy knew already, and enjoyed his years at Hogwarts immensely. He assured Teddy that when his time came to start school, he would love it just as much. The hours until seven seemed to fly by as they went back and forth with questions and stories. Teddy did not want to leave, but knew his Mum would be waiting. He felt as if this was all a dream and he would wake up to find that everything would be in his imagination.

As they stood in the garden preparing to apparate back to Teddy's house, his father asked the question Teddy had been waiting for.

"So, it doesn't bother you that I am a werewolf?"

Teddy shook his head. "No, you're still you. If you are a nice person, it doesn't matter if you go a bit furry when the moon gets full. You seem like a nice person."

"And you understand that other people don't think that way, and they may give you a hard time about it?"

"When kids made fun of me for my hair, Mum told me that the ones that mind don't matter and the ones that matter don't mind," Teddy explained, "She said Dr. Seuss said it first. I think it works the same way with this. I don't want to be friends with someone who minds. That doesn't make them very nice, does it?"

Remus shook his head, "I suppose not," he said with a small smile, "Your mother has always been quite smart, hasn't she?"

"She says so," Teddy answered, causing his father to laugh.

Teddy held his father's hand to apparate and felt the unpleasant sensation of being squeezed through a tube. They landed heavily on the ground outside Teddy's garden gate. Remus pulled him into a hug before they walked in. "I'm glad you found me," he said, pulling him so tight that Teddy felt like he was apparating again, "I love you, I hope you know that."

When his father returned him to the ground, Teddy could see that there were tears in his eyes. He ruffled Teddy's hair, which was a sandy brown at the moment.

"I love you, too… Dad," he answered, and father and son broke into identical smiles.

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**I hope you liked it! Please tell me what you think! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry it took so long to update this! I had a paper and that has been claiming my time recently. Anyway, we have a little bit of RemusxTonks in this chapter, even if it is not fluff... that is good right?**

**Also, if anyone wants to make a cover art for this or any of my stories, PM me and we can work out how you can get it to me and such. General rules, must pertain to the story in some way (i.e. I will be very impressed if you give me a blueprint of Hogwarts, but it is not exactly what I am looking for for this story...) and be appropriate.**

**I hope you enjoy this update! Read and review, please. Oh, and this story has now tied my Dear Baby story in reviews! This one has turned out more popular than I anticipated!**

**I don't own Harry Potter :(**

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Remus beamed. His son had just called him "Dad." It had been a very long time since he had been called anything so wonderful. "I love you too, Dad," he had said without any hesitation at all. He had to resist the urge to pull Teddy into another bone crushing hug.

A flutter of movement in the corner of his eye caught is attention. He looked just in time to see the curtain settle back into place.

"I think your Mum is waiting on us," he observed, "We should probably go in."

"I guess so," Teddy answered, but hesitated, "You are going to come back, aren't you?"

Remus felt even more ashamed of himself. "I promise. I will be here anytime you need me. I was wrong to stay out of your life, and I am sorry it took me so long to realize that."

"It's okay. You are here now."

Remus smiled at him. That was another way he was like his mother. They were both far too forgiving.

Together they walked to the door. Remus knocked and after what Remus suspected was a carefully measured pause, Dora answered.

"You two got yourselves sorted out?" she asked brightly.

"Yeah," Remus smiled, "We had a very nice talk, didn't we Teddy?"

Teddy nodded eagerly, "Yeah, we did! Can I go back tomorrow, Mum?"

Dora's face twitched slightly, but Remus caught it. "Now Teddy, tomorrow is Saturday. It is your Mum's day off…"

"No, it is fine. I have some work to catch up on anyway and Kingsley gave me an extended weekend since I was gone on conference all of last weekend."

"Thanks Mum!" Teddy cried, and wrapped her in a quick but enthusiastic hug that almost sent them both crashing to the floor. Clearly, Remus thought, Teddy had inherited Dora's sense of equilibrium.

"You're welcome, sweetie," she said after steadying both him and herself, "Now why don't you run along. Dinner is almost ready—Say bye before you go!" she called after him, as he was already almost half way up the stairs.

He trotted back down and ran to hug Remus so that it knocked him back a few steps. "Bye Dad! See you tomorrow!" Then he darted off again.

"Merlin," Dora muttered, "I don't think he's been this hyper since George took him trick-or-treating last Halloween."

"Oh I can only imagine what that was like…"

"Absolutely astonishing," Dora answered, "I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. Days long… I would have taken him myself, or Harry, Ron, or Hermione would have, but there was a tough case on and we were all stuck at work… had the Aurors and the Law Department running for weeks. Anyway, George insisted that it was his turn, and he and Angelina were taking Fred and Roxanne out anyway, and Ginny staying in with the little ones… Oh well, you live you learn."

"Listen Dora…"

"Tonks," she interrupted stubbornly.

He ignored her and continued on, "Are you sure you're okay with Teddy spending the day with me tomorrow."

"Does it really matter?" she asked, "It's not like I can say no without looking like the bad guy, can I? But, to be fair, I really am fine with it. Teddy needs to get to know you and I haven't told him nearly enough."

"If you are sure…"

"Yeah, I am… so you'll pick him up about ten-ish? Saturday is our lazy day, so we sleep in a bit."

Remus recognized her dismissal. "Yes, that is good. Well, I will see you then."

"Yeah. Bye, Remus."

"Goodbye… Dora," he answered as the door closed.

Back in his now empty sitting room, he wondered how he had even taken the quiet. One afternoon with his son filling the space with his cheerful chatter made the silence seem unbearably lonely in comparison. He thumbed through a book for diversion while sipping his cup of tea, but soon found his eyes wondering around the room. They landed on a book on the sideboard. He opened it to remove the photograph tucked in the pages. It was of Dora on no day in particular. That was why he liked it. It was timeless in that sense, because it could have been any day that she leaned against the kitchen counter with her coffee mug in her hand and her hair in her usual casual disarray. This could have been her yesterday, for all he knew, this is what she could be doing now.

He sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair. How had they gotten here? It was all on him, of course, but the question was, had they crossed the point of no return. Would he be calling her _Tonks_ until the day he died? He certainly hoped not. And then there was the question of what their relationship status actually was. She was technically still his wife, in the legal sense, but after all these years of no contact or even a line of communication… did they even count as friends? Merlin knows he was terrified of what her answer to that question would be.

The last time he had spoken to Dora, she had not been very coherent. In fact, he doubted whether she would remember it at all. It had been after the battle, and she had been gravely injured in a duel with Bellatrix. Her ribs were cracked and a curse was burning through her veins. She was screaming, and every scream intensified the pain. Madame Pomfrey wanted to put her under so that she would stop thrashing and risking puncturing her lungs with her broken ribs.

Remus thought she was going to die, and apparently so did she. Before she was given the sedative, she grabbed his hand with the force only a dying woman delivering her final act can manage. Her eyes were clouded over and unfocused when she spoke. "Our son," she choked in a strangled whisper, "_Your_ son… He needs one of us. Take care of him." Crimson drops of blood were flecked on her lips from the effort of screaming and speaking, contrasting sharply with her pale face. She looked like a corpse already.

"I will, Dora, I promise," he had cried, now he wondered if he would have kept his promise and the question haunted him. Tears were streaming down his face and he had been holding her hand tightly as if to tether her to life. He had pressed his lips to hers for one last kiss. Madam Pomfrey injected the sedative in her arm and her eyes closed for what Remus was sure was going to be the last time.

He did not leave her bedside, not even to eat or sleep, not until she was about to wake up. He left her then, even though it was painful. It was because of him that Bellatrix had tried to kill her, and in such a brutal way. He had sworn the healers and everyone who saw him there to secrecy. So far as he knew, she had never been told of his days-long bedside vigil. He thought it was better that way. He had not wanted to make her think he was there to stay when he was no more deserving of her than he had been when he had left the last time.

He should have stayed then. He had passed up yet another chance to be the man he should have been all along. Instead he had spent eleven years following the lives of his wife and child through pictures, letters, and—in Dora's case—newspapers.

He had let so much time pass… and there was no way to recover those wasted years. But maybe, just maybe, he could recover some sort of feeling between them, be it friendship or something else. His resolve was firm. He was going to talk to her. He wasn't going to be pushy or even hint that they could pick up where they left off. He would offer friendship, and nothing more.

That left him with perhaps the stickiest question of all: exactly _how_ is a man supposed to ask his wife out on a "just friends" date.

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**So how do you think Remus is going to ask his wife out? More importantly, what will she say? Review and tell me what you think.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry this update is coming so late! I have been busy with school and all that jazz, and I have been having a bit of writer's block. I do already have the vast majority of next chapter written, so it shouldn't be too long before I update. I may not wait to update all my other ones because so much of it is done already and I really want to get it out. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Please review!**

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Remus knocked on Dora's front door the following morning at ten sharp. He had barely slept at all the night before, and had been ready to leave at least an hour before Dora would be expecting him. So much had changed in his life, and so quickly. The same old worries were knocking about in his brain, fighting for precedence over new worries and new hopes. He hadn't so much happened across a new path as he had tumbled through a hole in the ground. It was unexpected and surreal, but maybe, just maybe, it was his chance to rediscover his wonderland. The few months he had spent courting and married to his wife had been the best times of his life. Looking back, they seemed like stolen moments from someone else's life. Someone who was good for her. After a long night of worrying and debating, he knew he wanted that back. Whether she would take him back, now that was another thing entirely.

There was a rustling of curtains, and then the door opened. Dora stood before him, and any eloquence he has deserted him. His mouth felt full of cotton. "Good morning, Dora," he greeted a half beat too late.

"Morning," she returned, and began to yell over her shoulder, "Teddy! Your father is here!"

"Down in a minute! Can't find my shoe!"

"Look under your bed! Maybe if you cleaned your room you would know where it is!" she turned back to Remus. "Merlin knows he gets that from me," she muttered.

Remus chucked softly, but Tonks did not laugh in return.

"Listen, Remus. Have you read _The Prophet_ this morning?"

"No, why?" In truth, his mind had been too full to consider putting anything else into it.

"No reason," she said quickly, "Teddy just pointed a 'story' out to me this morning. You'll see when you read it. I just think that you and I need to have a proper talk, now that we have had a chance for everything to sink in a bit. You know... About where things stand."

Hope bubbled up in Remus' chest. Here was his opening... and there it fizzled into an awkward pause.

"Yes. I mean, that is a good idea. Would you like to meet me at the Three Broomsticks for tea or drinks?"

"Sure," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and slouching against the door jamb, "Is Monday afternoon okay?"

"That's fine," he answered with a smile that he sincerely hoped was charming in an I'm-not-trying-to-be-charming-to-get-you-to-fall-for-me-(again) sort of way.

Tonks just nodded and turned to look up the staircase at the noise of Teddy thundering down. Right before he made it to his parents, Tonks whispered to Remus, "Teddy doesn't need to know any of this."

He was perplexed, but nodded quickly.

"Ready to go Teddy Bear?" Tonks asked more brightly than Remus has seen her act all morning. It had a distinct note of falsity to it, but it could be easily overlooked if one was not attuned to her methods for faking. Some things never changed. Teddy, at least, didn't notice.

"Mu-um," he whined, "I told you not to call me that!"

"And I never listen," she answered, "At least I didn't give you a horrible first name like my mother did me."

Teddy ignored her and turned to Remus, "Morning, Dad!"

Remus smiled. "Good morning, Teddy. Have you planned anything for us today?"

Teddy shook his head, "Not really, but could we explore the woods around your house? They look fun."

"Certainly," Remus agreed.

"Well, sounds like you two are going to have quite a time!" Tonks said, "You had best get going instead of burning daylight on the front steps!"

Teddy nodded eagerly. "Bye Mum!" he called as he ran down the garden path.

"Bye Teddy! Love you!" She called after him.

"I'll have him back for dinner," Remus said and Tonks nodded, "See you later, Dora."

"Bye, Remus," She said, "And it's Tonks."

Remus turned away to catch up with his waiting son. He didn't look back until he heard the door close behind him.

Teddy thought it was quite promising that his parents were talking on the front steps when he came down to meet his Dad. They were _whispering_. Victoire told him that that is what girls do when they like a boy. They whisper secrets in their ear, and there was his mother, leaning in to tell something very quiet to his father. And _The Prophet_ this morning! It had actually made his mother blush. His Mum _never_ blushed, but when she saw Teddy reading the headline _HEAD AUROR TONKS REKINDLES OLD ROMANCE? _her cheeks had turned bright red before she could morph it away. Victoire also said that girls will act cross with boys they fancy, and his Mum was doing that as well. In Teddy's book, his mother was showing all the signs of a full-blown infatuation.

After their walk through the woods, during which Teddy saw many squirrels, several rabbits, a family of ducks, and even a deer, Teddy decided to test the waters with his dad. He had heard them making plans to meet for tea, but that could mean any sort of thing. After all, Victoire asked him for tea, but that didn't mean anything at all, did it? Teddy kept waiting for some sort of opening in the conversation were talking about his parents' relationship would work in well, but none ever came. Finally, Teddy decided it was best to be direct.

"Mum loves you, you know," Teddy said matter-of-factly, "She told me so."

"I'm sure she didn't say that," Remus said with a somber tone and expression.

"Yes, she did," Teddy argued, "She said that she didn't hate you, because she loved you so much that she can't completely un-love you."

"Listen, Teddy that is not the same as being in love. I seriously doubt that your mother and I will get back to where we were, at that may be for the best. We never were very good for one another."

"You used to be happy," Teddy protested petulantly, "I have seen pictures!"

"That was for all too brief a time, Teddy, and long ago. You can't just pick that sort of thing up where you left off."

"Do you love Mum?" Teddy challenged.

"It doesn't matter," Remus said, and Teddy took that as a yes, "It is a matter of trust and getting to know each other again. Your mother and I have not even spoken is so long, we barely no anything about each other's lives. Nobody can force something like that to happen, and for it to happen twice…"

Teddy frowned. He should be happy just having his Dad back, and he knew that. He also knew that expecting his parents to get back together the moment they laid eyes on each other was childish. He couldn't help it, though. He was surrounded by happy families with _two_ parents, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, Uncle George and Aunt Angelina, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron. Now that he had all the puzzle pieces, he wanted to pop his family together. No matter what his Dad said, he wasn't going to give up hope yet.

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**Please Review! Your feedback makes my day! Critical reviews are welcome, but flames will not be tolerated. Thanks! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**So sorry for the long wait for the update! Life is a bit hectic at the moment! I came home from a semester away just in time for Christmas and I still had work to submit. Now my family and I are moving and renovating a house. Between packing and getting ready for a new semester, I don't know whether I am coming or going!**

**I debating splitting this one into two chapters, but since it took so long to get it out I am going to post it all at once. Please review?**

**Another Christmas come and gone and I still don't own Harry Potter. I am beginning to think Santa doesn't read my letters.**

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Remus was nervous. He was sitting at the bar of the Hog's Head tapping his fingers on the neck of the bottle with such ferocity the people at the bar were beginning to throw him irritated glances. After Teddy had left, he read the _Daily Prophet_ article. Well, "article" was holding it in too high estimation. It was a tabloid fantasy at best. According to R. Skeeter, Dora had clapped eyes on him and immediately demanded a private room, which admittedly, she had. However, Remus knew Dora's intention was to interrogate him and arrest him. Skeeter then reported that she had immediately taken him home with her. Skeeter suspected some sort of mind control or love potion, because her passionate response to a _werewolf,_ of all people, was so strong. Skeeter told readers to expect a happy announcement of a vow renewal soon. He sighed again. He was not sure what to make of Dora's reaction to it the other day, and how well it boded for their upcoming "date." He could see why she did not want Teddy reading it, even though most of the innuendos would go over his head.

Dora should be arriving in a few minutes. He caught Aberforth's eye, and he led him to a room upstairs. Dora had decided that they should meet here instead of the Three Broomsticks because it was less crowded. Aberforth was impossibly ancient now, making him an even less diligent barman than before. He sat at the small table in Aberforth's dining room to wait. His eyes shifted between the clock and the door.

Dora walked through the door exactly two minutes late. She sat in the chair across the table before Remus could even stand up, saving them both the awkward business of deciding between a handshake, a hug, or—Merlin!—maybe even a kiss on the cheek.

"Good evening, Dora," he greeted.

"Tonks, Remus," she corrected absently, "Good evening."

She did not look like it was a good evening for her, and her expression made Remus think that it was very unlikely he would have a good evening, either. It was closed and guarded. The wrinkle between her brows she got when she was stressed was pronounced. Her mouth was fixed in a straight line. It did not look good at all.

"So, how have you been?" As soon as he said it, Remus realized just how dim it sounded and hated himself for saying it.

"Fine," Dora said, "You?"

"I have been fine as well. Where's Teddy this evening?"

"My Mum's."

"Oh, that's nice. How is she?"

"Fine."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Listen, Remus…"

"Yes?" he asked hopefully.

"I think we should just cut to the chase. We didn't come to do the scripted small talk."

"Okay," he answered, a thrill on anticipation fluttering in his stomach.

He watched her rummaging in her bag. Her light, quick fingers flicked through the messy stack of papers until she pulled out an envelope. She dropped it on the table between them with a dull thud.

"What's that, Dora?" he asked with foreboding.

"Divorce papers," she answered flatly, "And what did I tell you about calling me Dora?"

His heart twisted painfully and all of his hopes fell to pieces. "Why now? Why after all of these years?"

"Why not?" she asked dryly, but then her voice softened, as did her face, "I've moved on, Remus. This is what I need from you now."

"What if I say no?" he countered childishly.

She fell back in her chair with a huff. He suddenly realized how much older she looked. All her thirty-six years and several more were painted on her face. Grey was emerging at the roots of her mousy brown hair. He knew she was not faking it to earn his sympathy That was not her way, and even after all these years he could tell when she was morphed. "Don't be this way, Remus. It's not like I packed my bags and ran out on you after a decade of wedded bliss. Signing the papers won't change anything. It is just defining our relationship."

"But why now?"

"It is what is best for Teddy," she said firmly, looking him steadily in the eyes, making Remus feel as though they were engaged in a high stakes staring contest, "It didn't matter before because you weren't around, but now that you're back I don't want him getting unrealistic expectations."

"Tonks," he pleaded, "please think this through..."

"I have thought it through, Remus. There is no point in being sentimental about something that doesn't exist anymore. Out marriage ended eleven years ago. Don't make a fuss, please. Just sign the papers."

"Don't I get a chance to look them over?"

"If you want, sure. They are pretty straight forward, though. Since we are not tied to each other financially or domestically, there is no division of assets to worry about. The only thing we need to discuss is Teddy. I am willing to share custody, if that is what you want, and I am not asking for child support. We just need to decide if we want to write visitation terms into the divorce agreement or not. I would like to keep court involvement to a minimum, for Teddy's sake."

"I'm sure we can agree on something without involving lawyers. I trust you, Dora. That was never the problem. It was…"

"I don't want to talk about what was and what wasn't, Remus. That is done and over with now. We didn't last, and that's just the way it is," Tonks interrupted brusquely, "I stopped being angry and upset a long time ago. What we need to do now is work out some sort of stable family environment for Teddy."

How could he say no? If she had moved on, then who was he to stop her? He had asked her to move on, and she had done it. He had never been so wrong about what they both wanted.

Feeling more weary and wretched than he could ever remember feeling, he drew the envelope to him and pulled out the papers. "Where do I sign?" he asked.

"I thought you wanted to look them over?" she asked.

"I trust you," he said, "Drawing this out won't make it better for anyone."

"Fair enough. I've already signed all my spots. You just sign everywhere that isn't marked for Ministry use."

He went through the document, signing the requested lines as he went. He soon came to the bottom, and the last blank. His quill hovered over the line. The document was ridiculously short, actually. This piece of paper put the final nail in the coffin for his life with Dora, and it just seemed wrong to sign it sitting quietly in the corner of private room in the Hog's Head. If he leaned back in his chair he could see the barstool where she had sat one of the first times he had met her. He closed his eyes and pressed his quill to the page. He scrawled his name without looking. When he opened his eyes, he saw their names, _Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks_ and _Remus John Lupin_, written side by side, just like they had been on their marriage certificate eleven years before.

It was too much. He slid the papers across the table to her and rose from his chair. "I…" he coughed hoarsely, "I'm sorry. I have to go…"

"But we haven't decided about Teddy…"

"We'll just keep going as we are now. Why mess with something that is working? I just… I just remembered that I had an appointment. I'm sorry." He pulled on his coat and was out the door.

After she knew he was gone, Tonks buried her face in her hands. A knock at the door made her look up. She brushed away the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes. "Come in," she called. Aberforth appeared at the door.

"What happened in here?" he asked gruffly, "Remus just flew out of here like a bat out of Hell."

"We had a difficult discussion," she answered.

Aberforth's expression softened somewhat. "Do you want something? Tea? Firewhiskey? It is on the house."

"Better go with the whiskey. Make it a double, please, and can I borrow your owl?"

He whistled and the tawny bird flew in through the window. He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder on his way out of the room to fetch her drink. Tonks instructed the owl to take the papers to Hermione before she lost her nerve. She did not trust herself to file them. Hermione was in law; she would know what to do with them.

Tonks watched the bird fly away with the papers until it wasn't even a speck on the horizon. When she could not see it anymore, she buried her face in her hands again. That was it then. That was the bit of neat closure that she thought she had wanted—no, needed. Soon the papers would be filed and she would not be Remus' wife and he would not be her husband. But, he would always be Teddy's father. They could never say goodbye for good now that Remus was involved with Teddy. Their child would keep them together in some fashion. She didn't know if that made things better or worse.

Aberforth set the glass at her elbow and she nodded her thanks. She sipped it slowly. She felt hollow and worn-down as she never had before.

"I've called Ginny over," Aberforth said. Tonks nodded, knowing how squeamish he was with emotional women. She should have expected he would call in reinforcements. "She will be here in a few minutes." There was a pleading tone that was begging her not to fall to pieces until then.

Tonks nodded again. "Thanks. I will be fine."

A few minutes later, Tonks heard voices floating down the corridor. She recognized Aberforth's gruff, wheezing grumble and Ginny's soft whispers. She knew they were talking about her, but tried not to care. Tonks looked toward the creaking door to greet them.

"Wotcher Ginny," she said dully, "Thank you for calling her, Aberforth." The old man merely grunted in response and retreated from the room as if he had just heard that there was Fiendfyre about to escape from the fire grate. The door clicked shut and Tonks turned back to Ginny, who was now sitting in the chair Remus had so recently vacated.

"Aberforth seems to think I am about to fall to pieces," Tonks explained, gesturing to the door with a roll of the eyes.

"That would be alright, you know… If you were to fall to pieces for a bit. It might even do you good."

Tonks snorted. "I'm done falling to pieces, thank you very much. I've done that enough already. A little piece of paper should not make a bit of difference."

"It doesn't make a bit of difference what should and shouldn't be. What matters is what is. You can feel however you want to feel about it."

"But I can't, can I? I can't feel victimized this time because I am the one that asked for the divorce. I can't feel loss, because what did I lose? I can't feel relief, because it is all too sudden. Merlin! I can't even hate him like a proper ex-wife should, because… because a part of me wishes we were still together." Tonks' eyes went wide at her own admission. Of course the truth was no shock to her, but he would have rather preferred not to think about that at this particular moment.

Ginny looked slightly smug at that. "Then why don't you give it a go?" she suggested.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. Why don't you give Remus one more shot? Aberforth tells me he looked pretty upset when he left here. If he screws this one up, you can still decide to kick him out on his sorry little tail."

"Because I am not stupid," Tonks deadpanned, "They say 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' I would have to be a real idiot to fall for him a third time. Besides, Teddy…"

"…Will be going to Hogwarts soon, and while the cat's away…"

"Are you suggesting I have a fling with Remus while Teddy is away at school?" Tonks gasped.

"More of a trial run. Teddy doesn't have to get his hopes up by knowing you are dating. It is as risk free as it gets."

"Remus freaks out at commitment, not trial runs. Besides, I just asked Remus for a divorce. Turning around and asking him for a date would be sending a bit of a mixed signal, don't you think? No, after all these years, it is impossible to go back as we were."

"I don't believe in impossible," Ginny stated smoothly, "It all comes down to nerve. One of you has to move first. Here I thought you would be the bolder one."

"Age has made me wiser, and significantly less impulsive. I have made myself the fool quite enough for that man," Tonks shot back sharply, "That took enough nerve for a lifetime. It took nerve to go to war. It took nerve to raise a son on my own while working overtime repairing the ministry. That is nerve. Chasing after a man that I know will never stay? That is foolishness. So don't tell me about nerve."

"Perhaps you are right," Ginny assented meekly, "For Teddy's sake at the very least. Have you told him yet?"

"Not yet. I was going to ask Remus if he wanted to be there when I told him, but he ran out of here so fast I didn't have a chance to ask. I may have to do it alone. With or without Remus, I am telling him tomorrow."

"Well, what would you like to do now? Teddy can spend tonight with me if you want some time with your Mum, or I can stay with you if you like. We can pop in on my Mum… or we can have a girl's night on the town…"

"I don't want to make a fuss. I'm not really up for anyone's tea and sympathy. I think I will just go home and try to sort myself out."

"If you are sure…"

"I am. I'm going to go home with a bottle of wine and a carton of ice cream and I am going to run the emotional spectrum until I find something that fits."

"Alright," Ginny said skeptically, "I suppose I will leave you to it. Just don't give yourself a hangover. You and Kingsley have a meeting with the American Ministry's representatives tomorrow."

"Ugh," Tonks groaned, "Don't remind me!" I will make it a very small bottle, then. It is getting late. I had best embark on my grand emotional journey soon so I can go to bed so I can sit in a meeting tomorrow. When did I become a responsible adult?"

Ginny shrugged, "Hard to tell, it happened so fast. Goodnight, Tonks. Are you sure you couldn't do with some help finishing that ice cream? I promise not to give any more dating advice."

Tonks gave a small smile. "Perhaps I could, if only so I don't have to worry about ten extra pounds when I morph. But no wine for you; you are the designated alarm clock."

"Okay. I will just pop over to my place to tell Harry and the kids they are fending for themselves for dinner tonight. I should be back to your house by the time you tell you Mum that Teddy is staying with her tonight."

Once it was all settled, Ginny left to give Tonks time to thank Aberforth and to go talk to her Mum privately. The more she thought about the empty house waiting for her, the happier she was that Ginny was coming. With a tired sigh, Tonks stepped out in the cool summer evening to get on her way.

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**Don't hate me! I am very anxious about this one, so please review and tell me what you think. Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I know it has been shamefully long since my last update, but I have been having severe writer's block. To everyone I have kept waiting, I am very sorry! I wish I had a bigger and better update to share, but this is the best I could come up with at the moment. Please review, if only to say you didn't like it****!**

**I don't own Harry Potter. It is a good thing, too. If I did we would still be waiting on Prisoner of Azkaban.**

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Remus found himself standing uncomfortably on Dora's front steps to following morning. He had considered sending her an owl explaining that he couldn't take Teddy today, but decided against it. It would hardly be fair to either of them. It was a tempting proposition that morning when he woke up feeling like death warmed over. He had not slept much, and sleep was fitful when it came. Every time he thought about what had happened he felt sick to his stomach and bitter tears prickled at his eyes. His house had never felt emptier and he had never felt more alone.

Before he could even gather the courage to knock, the door swung open.

"Ginny?" He asked, confused.

"Remus," she greeted, "I was actually just leaving. Harry has to go to work soon."

"Oh, then, I won't hold you up. Tell Harry and the kids I said hello."

"I will," she answered with a small smile, "Well, I'll just tell Tonks you are here." She disappeared back into the house and reemerged with Dora a few moments later.

"Remus," she greeted as Ginny waved goodbye and made her way down the garden path. She was already in her work clothes, a skirt suit with Auror robes overtop. She held a pair of low heels in one hand. In short, she was looking very un-Dora-ish.

"Good morning, Dora," he answered.

For a while no one said anything. They just stood dumbly in awkward silence. Dora cleared her throat. "So did you want something? I have a meeting with the American delegation in twenty minutes."

"Oh," he coughed, "I was just... I was just here to pick up Teddy."

She let out a groan. "He stayed with Mum last night. I didn't know if... well, if you would be coming today." He must have shown some twinge of guilt on his face because she quickly amended her statement. "No, not like that! I mean, I knew you would be back eventually. It is only that you didn't really want to... to sign. I didn't know if you wanted to take some time..."

"It is quite alright," he assured her, "It is all alright."

"You're sure?" she muttered, "You really mean everything?"

"Yes," he said with a small, sad smile, "I understand your reasons and realize that it may be for the best, for you and for Teddy. Have you told him yet?"

Dora shook her head. "I was going to give you the option to be there, but only if you want to."

Remus' stomach knotted in on itself painfully, but he managed to nod in response. "Yes," he mumbled, "We should tell him together... Mutual decision."

She smiled gratefully. "You can come by for dinner," she suggested, "My cooking's not as bad as it used to be, even if it is still not much to write home about."

"I will be here. Do you want to tell him tonight? Or do you want to wait until the papers are filed?"

"Tonight, I suppose. Hermione is submitting the papers today. Since she is the one handling it, there is not much chance of it getting out soon, but I don't want to take the risk. He should hear it from us, not a newspaper. That is why I asked Hermione to take care of the legal end, though I suppose I should have asked if you wanted a lawyer of your own choosing."

"No, Hermione would have been my choice as well. When can we expect everything to be… well, _settled_, for lack of a better word?"

"We will be called on to make a court appearance, mostly just a formality, in a couple weeks and then it will be done." He noticed she looked away when she said it and he couldn't quite bring himself to look her in the eye, either. It was all he could do to make his face remain passive when he was falling to bits inside.

"I am sorry, Dora, I really am," he muttered quietly, so quietly he was not sure she would be able to hear.

"For what, Remus?" she asked, though he doubted it was not the lack of wrongs that had her guessing for the guilty action, but rather the sheer abundance of them.

"For everything, I suppose. I have not handled one thing in our relationship properly. I couldn't even sit down and talk about a divorce properly without running away, for Merlin's sake!" he sighed deeply, "But then, I have always been a coward."

Dora crossed her arms over her chest. "Now you wait just a moment. You are not a coward, nor have you ever been one. You have made decisions that I rather wish you hadn't, but I know you did what you felt you had to. You did not commit a single malicious act where I am concerned, and you cannot shoulder the entire blame for our failed marriage."

"You know that is not true. I am the reason we are not still together. You are entirely guiltless in this."

"Let's not talk about guilt. It depresses me," she insisted, "I would ask you in for a cup of tea, but I am meeting the American delegation at the Ministry in a bit."

"I do want to talk about it all though. I mean… really talk about the divorce. I want to finally do something properly for you and Teddy."

She bit her lip in thought and his heart skipped a little. He used to love it when she did that, and quite honestly he still did. "We could meet up sometime after work. Teddy can stay with my Mum or Ginny while we talk. I don't think we need to have all the details settled before we tell Teddy. It will be enough just to introduce the idea. I don't want to overload him. Is Wednesday okay for you?"

He nodded. "That is good. I will see you for dinner, then."

She gave him a tight smile and jerky nod. She touched his hand briefly before stepping back inside the house. His fingers twitched in response to her warm hand, but it was gone as soon as he had felt it; like holding hands with a ghost. He stared at the closed door for a few moments more before he turned away to walk down the garden path to the apparation point.

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